PROFINET for network geeks (and those who want to be)

PROFINET is an open Industrial Ethernet standard. It is a communication protocol that exchanges data between automation controllers and devices. With over 25 million installed nodes (as of 2018), PROFINET is one of the most widely used Industrial Ethernet standards worldwide. But even though millions of users are familiar with PROFINET, not all users understand how it works. This white paper starts with a brief overview of Ethernet and the 7-layer ISO-OSI model. Then, it describes how PROFINET’s 3 communication channels fit in the model: TCP/IP and UDP/IP, Real-Time (RT), and Isochronous Real-Time (IRT).